Heard on the Tom/Toms
Stephen Frank, Exclusive to the California Political News and Views, 7/5/23 www.capoliticalreview.com
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“Are you an Old Testament activist or a New Testament activist”, As for me, I like the Old Testament.
“From Don, Don, Don, to you Ron, Ron”
Recently, Emerson College found that 53% of California Republicans plan to vote for Donald Trump in our state’s Presidential Primary next March; more than two and a half times the support of the next leading contender, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Trump’s base continues to be voters under 50 and those without a college degree, while DeSantis performs strongest among voters over 50 and those with a college degree, but [he] still trails Trump,” said Spencer Kimball, Executive Director of Emerson College Polling.
In a move typical of their “leaderless” ship, California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Patterson, National Committeeman Shawn Steel and National Committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon have wandered out into the open against the “Mean Tweeter” (or is it the “Bad Orange Man”); a move only designed to further divide our already divided Party and keep us from uniting in the next Presidential election. How? With their latest proposed change to the CRP bylaws.
Under current CRP bylaws, California’s 156 delegates to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee will be allocated three (3) per Congressional District with five (5) at-large delegates for each United States Senate seat. Under the current CRP bylaws, when a Presidential candidate wins a California congressional district, they get all three delegates. The candidate who receives the most votes statewide in the Primary—a plurality not a majority—get ALL the “at-large” delegates.
If the election were held today, that candidate would be Don, not Ron and we’d be done.
Unable to abide that outcome, Steel, Dhillon and Patterson have proposed a bylaw amendment to give the winner of a California congressional district TWO delegates with the second-place candidate getting ONE. Statewide “at-large” seats would be allocated the same way—the plurality winner gets two-thirds (7 delegates, you round up) and second place gets one-third or 3 at-large delegates. Nothing is mentioned about participation trophies for the other candidates.
The only reason to do this is to steal some delegates from Don, give them to Ron and “virtue signal” the donor class that they are doing their part to “stop” Trump. They’re singing that ‘60’s classic by the Crystals, “From Don, Don, Don, to you Ron, Ron”. Besides, how are they going to make that quarter of a million salary “nut” for the Chairwoman this year and next?
Aside from disrespecting the wishes of Republican voters (who expect a winner-take-all approach), what will be the outcome of this “half-baked” idea? For starters, Patterson, Steel and Dhillon will make the California delegation not only irrelevant but divided at the National Convention. “Mr. Chairman, the Great State of California cannot make up its collective mind and casts x votes for the Mean Tweeter, y votes for DeSanctimonious, z votes for the Decaffenator and the rest for somebody or other. We hope the rest of you figure it out.”
It doesn’t stop there. Since Patterson is Speaker McCarthy surrogate, McCarthy will be blamed for this inane idea. He’s already had to backtrack on Trumps electability. How many times do you think he wants to “eat crow”, not to mention the damage this will do to the Speakers relationship with Trump.
Steel, Dhillon and Patterson are going to push this amendment through the 95 member CRP Executive Committee meeting on July 29th instead of placing this before the entire California Republican Party delegation at a CRP convention.
The Rules Committee will meet on the day of the meeting. Delegates from around the State will be unable to testify at the Rules meeting—the same Rules Committee handpicked by the Chairwoman. Matt Jacobs is the new chair of the Rules Committee. In his 39 years, Matt has attended only one CRP convention as a delegate. He has never attended, a Rules Committee meeting. Never fear, the puppet master will be there. But he is a lawyer, like Dhillon and Steel. Plus, he’s a graduate of Princeton.
Who is Matt Jacobs? He ran for Congress from Ventura County in the 26th Congressional District. But his big claim to fame is he attended a speech by the doyenne of NeverTrump Republicans, Liz Cheney who denounced the GOP and conservatives, at the Reagan Library no less. From his front row seat, Matt gave her a standing ovation.
I can hear it now, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson as Admiral Josh Painter in “The Hunt for Red October” saying , “This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we’ll be lucky to live through it.”
My advice to our NeverTrump leaders is to withdraw this proposal. Remember how the effort to change the by-laws to allow Kevin Faulconer to get the CRP endorsement for Governor in the Recall Election worked out. After pushing through the amendment (and refusing to allow the “no endorsement” option on every vote), they had to manipulate the rules to keep from endorsing the “Black face of White Supremacy” after Faulconer faded like a cheap suit.
The latest move by Steel, Dhillon and Patterson has all the hallmarks and unintended consequences of the Faulconer debacle. Have they learned their lesson? As of right now. No. But I will give them this: As authors of this by-law amendment they are being honest and open about their views of the California Republican Party, California’s Republican electorate and President Trump. They don’t give a damn.
Game, Set, Match.
- You have to see the Steve Garvey for Senate web site. Go to www.stevegarveyforsenate.com This will give you all of his background—not his baseball history. You need to know Garvey, who he is and how he has lived his life. When you go to the web site click on each paragraph on the front page and it will take you to a story about his finances, his family life, his “friends” and more. This web site will become a classic.
- Newsom was right—the Dobbs decision would create a new industry for California—the abortion industry. At the same time the entertainment, technology and real industries are fleeing the State.
Out-of-state abortion seekers in Orange, San Bernardino counties doubled since Dobbs decision — “Often, when patients call us, we have an appointment in the next few days, but they will ask for an appointment two weeks out,” said Jon Dunn, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, “because they recognize that it’s going to take them that long to organize childcare, find a way to get away from their job, and organize transportation.” Beau Yarbrough in the Orange County Register — 6/27/23
- Conservatives thinking of running for office, from city council to congress, put August 19 in Fresno on your schedule.
Those concerned about the demise of the Republican party in California, put August 19 in Fresno on your schedule.
Those who understand the need for activist, REPUBLICAN County committee, put August 19 on your schedule.
On August 19, from 9-5 there will be a conservative conference—NOT taught by those that have thrown the GOP under the bus, not by “trainers” who are the consultants running a jihad against conservatives in California.
In a few days more information.
(Periodically the California Political News and Views will publish tidbits of political news, to keep you in the loop of what the pooh bahs know. The phrase “tom/tom’s” comes from my mentor, Lorelei Kinder who never passed a rumor, just called to tell me what she heard on the “TomTom’s”. This column is named in her honor.)
